Martial Arts Shin Guard

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides a martial arts shin guard comprising a sleeve portion for surrounding the lower leg and possibly foot of a wearer and a padded plate portion adapted to cover the wearer&#39;s lower leg and possibly foot, wherein the padded plate portion is reversibly attachable to the sleeve portion. In another embodiment the present invention is a system for protecting the lower leg of a wearer when engaged in martial arts comprising: an elastic sleeve portion adapted to fit over a portion of the wearer&#39;s lower leg, wherein the elastic sleeve portion further comprises a first connector; a padded plate portion, the padded plate portion further comprising at least a shin region and a second connector; and wherein the first connector and the second connector are complimentary to each other thereby allowing the reversible connection of the padded plate portion to the elastic sleeve portion.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of priority from provisional patentapplication No. 61/729,486 filed on Nov. 23, 2012.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH

N/A

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to shin guards for use during martial artstraining

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), Muay Thai and Kickboxing are contact fightsports characterized by foot, shin and knee strikes. Sparring, orpractice fighting, is an integral part of training for these sports. Inorder to protect participants from injury, a variety of protective gearhas been developed. One of the pieces protective equipment used by MMApractitioners is a shin guard. MMA shin guards are typically rigid,padded, items that cover the front portion of the user's lower leg andfoot (instep). The shin guards serve the very important role ofprotecting the bones and nerves of the foot, ankle and shins as well asprotecting the user's training partners. Typically the shin guards arefixed to the user by way of straps that wrap around the lower leg of theuser and an elastic strap that goes around the bottom of the user'sfoot. These fastening straps may include hardware such as buckles thatmay cause injury to participants during training

One of the most significant problems with MMA shin guards is the factthat they do not stay in place during use. The kicks thrown by MMApractitioners are very powerful and often cause the shin guards torotate about the user's leg. This rotation shifts the padded areas ofthe shin guard away from the user's shin thus depriving the user and theuser's training partner(s) of the protective qualities of the shinguard. Additionally, having to adjust the shin guard during use isdistracting, annoying and may place the user in danger.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

As specified in the Background Section, above, there is a great need inthe art to develop new shin guards that stay in place during use and donot incorporate fastening hardware that may cause injury.

Thus, in one embodiment, the present invention provides a martial artsshin guard comprising a sleeve portion for surrounding the lower leg andpossibly foot of a wearer and a padded plate portion adapted to coverthe wearer's lower leg and possibly foot, wherein the padded plateportion is reversibly attachable to the sleeve portion.

In another embodiment the present invention is a system for protectingthe lower leg of a wearer when engaged in martial arts comprising: anelastic sleeve portion adapted to fit over a portion of the wearer'slower leg, wherein the elastic sleeve portion further comprises a firstconnector; the invention further comprises a padded plate portion, thepadded plate portion further comprising at least a shin region and asecond connector; and wherein the first connector and the secondconnector are complimentary to each other thereby allowing thereversible connection of the padded plate portion to the elastic sleeveportion.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a side view of the shin guard illustrating the padded plateportion's reversible attachment to the elastic sleeve portion.

FIG. 2 shows a detailed view of the padded plate portion showing theshin region, the instep region and the flexible connection between theshin region and the instep region.

FIG. 3 shows a detailed view of the elastic sleeve portion.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In an embodiment the present invention is a martial arts shin guardcomprising a sleeve portion adapted to fit around the lower leg andoptionally the foot of a wearer and a padded plate portion adapted tocover at least the wearer's shin and optionally instep, wherein thepadded plate is reversibly attachable to the sleeve portion.

The sleeve may be elastic so as to firmly grip the lower leg of thewearer. In some embodiments the elastic sleeve portion may be adapted tofit the lower leg and foot of the wearer. Any suitable material known tothose skilled in the art may be used to make the sleeve portionincluding elasticized fabrics, textiles, neoprene and the like. Elasticsleeves are routinely used as ankle supports by martial artspractitioners and other athletes and are sold as “Muay Thai AnkleSupport Wraps.” The sleeve further comprises a upper portion (11)adapted to fit around the lower leg of a wearer and a foot portion (12)adapted to fit around the foot/instep of a wearer. The upper portion ofthe sleeve further comprises a front side (7), corresponding to the shinof the wearer and a back side (6) corresponding the calf/achilles tendonregion of the wearer. The upper portion of the sleeve may be of variedlength. For example the upper portion may extend to just below the kneeof the wearer or may end just below the calf muscle (5) of the wearer.Sleeves of intermediate lengths are also contemplated. The front side ofthe elastic sleeve portion may further comprise padding elements, suchas discrete pads, a layer or layers of padding and the like. The upperportion of the sleeve may further comprise a top edge. The top edge mayfurther comprise a band (11) adapted to firmly grip the leg of wearer.The band may be made from any material that will securely grip the legof the wearer and provide a high friction connection. Rubber as well ashighly elasticized textile are specifically contemplated. The footportion of the sleeve further comprises a top side (13) correspondingthe top of the wearer's foot and a bottom side (14) corresponding thebottom of the wearer's foot. A cut-out (20) to accommodate the heel ofthe wearer may aid the sleeve in conforming to the shape of the wearer'slower leg and foot. The front side of the upper portion of the sleeve(25), and the top side of the lower portion of the sleeve (30) furthercomprise a first connector. In embodiments where the elastic sleeveportion further comprises padding, the first connector element(s) may beplaced on top of the padding. An additional connector may be present onthe back side of the upper portion of the sleeve (15). This connectorcan be used to connect to the optional straps that may be included onthe padded plate portion. Any connection means known to those skilled inthe art may be utilized, in particular hook and loop connectors arecontemplated. Hook and loop closures may be a particularly attractiveconnector option as it will allow for aesthetic design that incorporatesthe connector functionality. For example the first connector may takethe form of an ornamental pattern or image such as a dragon, tiger,series of octagons or the like.

The padded plate portion (35) of the shin guard provides cushioning andprotection to the wearer and the wearer's training partners. The paddedplate portion should cover at least the shin of the wearer andoptionally the shin and instep of the wearer. In an embodiment, thepadded plate portion further comprises an instep region (50) covering aportion of the instep of the foot of the wearer and a shin region (36)covering a portion of the shin of the wearer wherein the instep regionis flexibly connected (45) to the shin region allowing for bending andstraightening of the wearer's ankle The instep region and the shinregion of the padded plate portion each further comprise an insidesurface (32) and an outside surface (31). The inside surfaces of theshin portion and the instep portion respectively further comprise asecond connector (40, 41), complimentary to the connector on the sleeve.The connector allows for the reversible connection of the padded plateportion to the sleeve portion. Additional closure mechanisms may beincluded on the padded plate portion to further secure the padded plateportion to the lower leg of the wearer. For example, a strap or straps(55, 56) may be affixed to the padded plate portion so as to wrap aroundthe lower leg of the wearer, at or about the ankle, and or the calf ofthe wearer. In a preferred embodiment a single strap corresponding theupper calf area (5) of the wearer adds additional closure support. Inorder to avoid the use of hardware that may cause injury duringtraining, the straps may incorporate a hook and loop connector, or othersuitable connection means, that connect directly to connector on theback side of the upper sleeve portion (15). Standard strap hardware mayalso be used.

The present invention is not to be limited in scope by the specificembodiments described herein. Indeed, various modifications of theinvention in addition to those described herein will become apparent tothose skilled in the art from the foregoing description. Suchmodifications are intended to fall within the scope of the appendedclaims.

All references cited herein, including all patents, published patentapplications, and published scientific articles, are incorporated byreference in their entireties for all purposes.

What is claimed is:
 1. A shin guard comprising: an elastic sleeveportion adapted to fit around the lower leg of a wearer, the elasticsleeve portion further comprising a front side and a back side, whereinthe front side of the elastic sleeve portion further comprises a firstconnector; a padded plate portion further comprising an instep regioncovering a portion of the instep of the foot of the wearer and a shinregion covering a portion of the shin of the wearer wherein the instepregion is flexibly connected to the shin region allowing for bending andstraightening of the wearer's ankle, the padded plate portion furthercomprising an inside surface and an outside surface, the inside surfaceof the padded plate portion further comprising a second connector; andwherein the first connector and the second connector are complimentaryto each other thereby allowing the reversible connection of the paddedplate portion to the elastic sleeve portion.
 2. The shin guard of claim1 wherein the padded plate portion further comprises at least one strapadapted to wrap around the wearer's lower leg.
 3. The shin guard ofclaim 1 wherein the padded plate portion further comprises one strapadapted to wrap around the wearer's leg at or about the wearer's calf 4.The shin guard of claim 1 wherein the first and second connectors arecomplimentary hook and loop connectors.
 5. The shin guard of claim 1wherein the elastic sleeve portion is constructed of neoprene.
 6. Theshin guard of claim 1 wherein the first connector on the elastic sleeveportion is arranged to form an ornamental design.
 7. The shin guard ofclaim 1 wherein the elastic sleeve portion further comprises a top edge,wherein the top edge further comprises a band adapted to create a highfriction connection to the wearer's leg.
 8. A system for protecting thelower leg of a wearer when engaged in martial arts comprising: Anelastic sleeve portion adapted to fit over a portion of the wearer'slower leg, wherein the elastic sleeve portion further comprises a firstconnector; A padded plate portion, the padded plate portion furthercomprising at least a shin region and a second connector; and Whereinthe first connector and the second connector are complimentary to eachother thereby allowing the reversible connection of the padded plateportion to the elastic sleeve portion.
 9. The system of claim 8 whereinthe padded plate portion further comprises an instep region flexiblyconnected to the shin region.
 10. The system of claim 8 wherein theelastic sleeve portion is adapted to fit over the lower leg and foot ofthe wearer.